Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

People make the easiest judgments first when analyzing scenery

Evidence from a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology by researchers from Brown University and led by Assistant Professor Thomas Serre suggests that when we analyze scenery we simply make the easiest judgments first, rather than following a priority order of categories.

4 Sep 2015

New model of cognitive flexibility may help understand behavioral, neurological disorders

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift our thoughts and adapt our behavior to the changing environment. In other words, it's one's ability to disengage from a previous task and respond effectively to a new one.

4 Sep 2015

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

One of the longstanding debates in science, that has, perhaps unsurprisingly, permeated into the field of stem cell research, is the question of nature versus nurture influencing development.

4 Sep 2015

Repeated exposure to anesthesia early in life causes long-term behavioral changes

Repeated exposure to anesthesia early in life causes alterations in emotional behavior that may persist long-term, according to a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in collaboration with the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

4 Sep 2015

Acupuncture may be viable treatment for women experiencing hot flashes

Acupuncture may be a viable treatment for women experiencing hot flashes as a result of estrogen-targeting therapies to treat breast cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Hot flashes are particularly severe and frequent in breast cancer survivors, but current FDA-approved remedies for these unpleasant episodes, such as hormone replacement therapies are off-limits to breast cancer survivors because they include estrogen.

4 Sep 2015

Acupuncture: A viable treatment for breast cancer survivors experiencing hot flashes

3 Sep 2015

Study: High school athletes use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate compared to non-athletes

High school athletes who play on sports teams smoke tobacco products at a lower rate than non-athletes, but use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

3 Sep 2015

Children's Hospital Los Angeles receives $2 million to spur research on brain, spinal cord tumors

A life-changing event for a Los Angeles family has resulted in their funding an endowment to support The Kort Family Foundation Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Research Program in the Division of Neurosurgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

3 Sep 2015

Researchers examine use of MRI after birth to identify children at risk of later academic impairment

School age children who are born prematurely are more likely to have low mathematical achievement, thought to be associated with reduced working memory and number skills, according to a new study published today in the neurology journal Brain.

3 Sep 2015

Finding better treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

In an effort to find a better treatment for spinal curvature in children and young people, the EU's "StimulAIS" project is focused on electrostimulation of muscles. Fraunhofer scientists worked with partners from industry and research to develop a prototype implant that would do the job.

3 Sep 2015

Scientists identify new mechanism for severe early infant epilepsy

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have discovered a new explanation for severe early infant epilepsy. Mutations in the gene encoding the protein KCC2 can cause the disease, hereby confirming an earlier theory.

3 Sep 2015

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

New research may help explain why drug treatments for addiction and depression don't work for some patients. The conditions are linked to reward and aversion responses in the brain. Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered brain pathways linked to reward and aversion behaviors are in such close proximity that they unintentionally could be activated at the same time.

3 Sep 2015

Diabetes may be linked to buildup of brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Diabetes may be linked to the buildup of tangles or tau in the brain, separate from Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the September 2, 2015, online version of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Sep 2015

Study reveals new epigenetic mechanism underlying progression of cancer tumors

Aggressive cancer growth and alterations in gene activity without changes in DNA sequence (epigenetics) are associated with mutant p53 proteins, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Sep 2015

Researchers create method to watch activity of motor neurons in real time

When you're taking a walk around the block, your body is mostly on autopilot--you don't have to consciously think about alternating which leg you step with or which muscles it takes to lift a foot and put it back down. That's thanks to a set of cells in your spinal cord that help translate messages between your brain and your motor neurons, which control muscles.

3 Sep 2015

University of Basel scientists identify genes that play central role in development of Alzheimer's disease

Genes are not only important for regular memory performance, but also for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the University of Basel now identified a specific group of genes that plays a central role in both processes. This group of molecules controls the concentration of calcium ions inside the cell.

3 Sep 2015

Scientists pinpoint neurons responsible for alcohol consumption

Scientists have pinpointed a population of neurons in the brain that influences whether one drink leads to two, which could ultimately lead to a cure for alcoholism and other addictions.

3 Sep 2015

Huntington’s disease prevention breakthrough? An interview with Professor Lesley Jones

Huntington’s disease is an inherited disease which, whilst quite rare, is one of the more common inherited neurodegenerative diseases. About 1 in 6,000 people in the UK are at risk and what’s horrible about this disease is that if one of your parents has it, then you have a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting it.

2 Sep 2015

University of Maryland Medicine offers MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment to Parkinson's patients

University of Maryland Medicine (the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine) and its Center for Metabolic Imaging and Image-Guided Therapeutics (CMIT) has begun to use MRI-guided focused ultrasound on a deep structure within the brain related to Parkinson's disease - the globus pallidus.

2 Sep 2015

UCLA scientists develop promising new combination treatment for glioblastoma

UCLA scientists have developed a potentially promising new combination therapy for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.

2 Sep 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

People make the easiest judgments first when analyzing scenery

New model of cognitive flexibility may help understand behavioral, neurological disorders

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

Repeated exposure to anesthesia early in life causes long-term behavioral changes

Acupuncture may be viable treatment for women experiencing hot flashes

Acupuncture: A viable treatment for breast cancer survivors experiencing hot flashes

Study: High school athletes use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate compared to non-athletes

Children's Hospital Los Angeles receives $2 million to spur research on brain, spinal cord tumors

Researchers examine use of MRI after birth to identify children at risk of later academic impairment

Finding better treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Scientists identify new mechanism for severe early infant epilepsy

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

Diabetes may be linked to buildup of brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Study reveals new epigenetic mechanism underlying progression of cancer tumors

Researchers create method to watch activity of motor neurons in real time

University of Basel scientists identify genes that play central role in development of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists pinpoint neurons responsible for alcohol consumption

Huntington’s disease prevention breakthrough? An interview with Professor Lesley Jones

University of Maryland Medicine offers MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment to Parkinson's patients

UCLA scientists develop promising new combination treatment for glioblastoma

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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